“When the government regulates a property, it gets inspected once a year. When the customers themselves regulate it, it gets inspected every time someone rents it.” Regulation of Lodging by the Market Process – THE FREEMAN

"They who say all men are equal speak an undoubted truth, if they mean that all have an equal right to liberty, to their property, and to the protection of the laws. But they are mistaken if they think men are equal in their station or employments, since they are not so by their talents."- Voltaire

Thomson Reuters has been predicting Nobel Prizes for the last dozen years, with modest success, and this year names as a potential economics winner Austrian Israel Kirzner, for all his work on the entrepreneurial market process. “My work [says Kirzner] has explored, not the nature of the talents needed for entrepreneurial success, not any guidelines to be followed by would-be successful entrepreneurs, but, instead, the nature of the market process set in motion by the entrepreneurial decisions.” Israel Kirzner for the Nobel Prize! – Peter Klein, CIRCLE BASTIAT

“Those unfamiliar with the intellectual zeitgeist of the mid-20th century might be unaware of just how radical Mises’s views were at the time, but it’s perhaps safe to say that Mises’s philosophy of laissez-faire was beyond heretical in those days. The “third option” of actually free markets, as opposed to debating how exactly the state should intervene, simply was not an option.” The Radicalism of Ludwig Von Mises – Ryan McMaken, CIRCLE BASTIAT

“In this context, I think it is a mistake to accept the premise that inequality, per se, is a ‘problem’ needing to be ‘solved,’ and to craft ‘alternative solutions.’” Why and how we care about inequality – John Cochrane, GRUMPY ECONOMIST

“"Piketty stirs up resentment against the producers and holders of wealth, and then says we need to tax it away to assuage that resentment. Instead, as an economist, he should be explaining why wealth is good and how, in the hands of those who know how to invest it profitably, it leads to prosperity for everyone involved in the economy. Economists know this. They can’t not know it. It is a fundamental principle of their science. "But Piketty won’t acknowledge it. Why might that be?" The Banality of a Leftist: Thomas Piketty—Raymond C. Niles, OBJECTIVE STANDARD

In the wake of Poseidon the People’s Pontificaion March, more about the Pretender and the pretend "consensus": "CO2 is said to be responsible for global warming that is not occurring, for accelerated sea-level rise that is not occurring, for net glacial and sea ice melt that is not occurring . . . and for increasing extreme weather that is not occurring.” Leo vs. science: vanishing evidence for climate change – Tom Harris and Bob Carter, NEW YORK POST

“Americans now face beheadings, gang warfare, Ebola, ISIS and a new war in Syria. It’s natural to assume that the world has gotten more dangerous. But it hasn’t.” It’s Better Now – John Stossel, CAPITALISM MAGAZINE

"I don't think Mother Earth is fragile. I think Mother Earth is a wild animal with a lot of potential that we need to harness."—Alex Epstein, quoted in ‘UN Climate Summit heats up in New York’

"'If there is no God, anything goes.' This popular claim is an eloquent distillation of a deep-rooted false alternative wreaking havoc on human life and happiness.” Religion vs. Subjectivism: Why Neither Will Do – Craig Biddle, OBJECTIVE STANDARD

"All of that suggests that our Che problem is really a philosophical one. It’s not just that Guevara was an activist who was widely read in the deep thinkers — Jean-Paul Sartre, Bertrand Russell, Friedrich Nietzsche, and of course Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. It’s that all of us since Che are battling over the abstract significance of his legacy. What’s true and what’s myth? What ideals and evils are at stake? And, as the fashion battle demonstrates — what’s cool and hip? That is to say, to use philosophers’ labels, that the Che battle is about epistemology, ethics, and aesthetics." Our Che Guevara Problem – Stephen Hicks, EVERY JOE

The Heidegger problem; another glaring issue about their own that modern philosophers need to address, and haven’t. And won’t. (And can’t?) Heidegger in Black - Peter E. Gordon, N.Y. REVIEW OF BOOKS

“On his show yesterday, John Oliver asked asked the question, "Why is Ayn Rand still a thing?" Not only is Ayn Rand still "a thing"—she's more "a thing" than ever. Readers in third-world India are discovering that Rand's novels describe the very dishonesty and corruption that surrounds them.” Third World Objectivism – Shanu Athiparambath, THE FREEMAN

“Business is moral because our lives and well-being depend on it, and businesspeople are heroes and moral creators who deserve, not our disdain and criticism, but our thanks.” Business as a Moral Endeavour – Janna Woiceshyn, CAPITALISM MAGAZINE

“Today, there is a vigorous and sometimes caustic debate over whether computer software is a patentable invention. … this essay details the historical evolution of computer software and shows how intellectual property (IP) law played a key role in its technological development… Understanding the history of computer software and its evolving protections under the IP laws confirms that software programs today are inventions that, if they are new, useful, nonobvious and properly disclosed in a patent application, are rightly eligible for patent protection.” A Brief History of Software Patents (and Why They're Valid) – Adam Mossoff, SOCIAL SCIENCES RESEARCH NETWORK [15-page PDF]

“An author chooses if, when, and how to run a “free” promotion, and with what title; a pirate deprives the author of any of those choices about his own work, forcing him to participate in a free distribution scheme, whether he wants to or not, and whether he benefits or not.” Thoughts About Book Piracy – Robert Bidinotto, VIGILANTE AUTHOR

“The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. To be your own man is a hard business. If you try it, you’ll be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself.”- Rudyard Kipling

“…it could mark the moment - together with the Lucian Freud exhibition that will be opening shortly at the nearby at the National Portrait Gallery - when figurative art once again starts to become the dominant genre in the contemporary exhibitions.” Why art has become 'less' – David Hockney, BBC

Rising damp, a discovery about water levels Along the East coast of Thailand about 150 km south of Bangkok, is East coast of the mighty Thailand Gulf.In the province of Phetchaburi at one place, there is a statue of a grotesque stone woman in the sea called Panthurat. She is a mythical character in Thailand, and she is swamped now by the sea to her knees.And here is the point of my research. When my Wife, Miss Bangkok Wan was a child she stood beside this statute of this woman in the sand, no sea. They stood in sand and that was 32 years ago. Now the statue is swamped by water.. Well now Thai people tell fibs, and you have to be careful. But where did that water come from.Collapsing real estate market along the east of the Gulf Along the Coast from Cha-am to Petchaburi I took hundreds of photographs of abandoned high level holiday residences. The coast line is littered with massive hotels and previously upper market residences, entire gated communities which are now abandoned. I spent weeks searching out this strange happening,, and I include on my own site shortly, photographic evidence . I would say to my Wife ‘ please ask the sentry where the people have gone’ They would smile at her and say, “tell farang that the sea has risen and the people went away when the sand front left us”ScienceI searched to find facts about the sea along this coast line [ Petchaburi to Cha-am ] but little came up, because Thai people do political Science but not real Science.Then a surprising joke about water levels, which was breakthrough in my understanding.. It was flooding all over the East of Thailand again last year, so the Prime Minister Shinawatra ,Intellect of the year instructed her officials to open the flood gates in Ayutha [ low lying province ] to let the water out. “ .. But Prime Minister, one official intervened, the water is higher out there, water flows downhill Prime Minister, and it can not flow uphill, it will make matters worse “ ..Well that’s a big breakthrough.I found this out myself as the waters poured down on my place in Christchurch, the water either went into the well or to the lowest lying areas.Let us assume that as said, there has been a rise in the ocean level of say 2 mm per year for some time.The oceans water is contained by the land and ice and its rising will be forced into low lying areas.And here is the crunch. If the sea rises, [ add in variations and so forth,] it is will be that one tiny percentage of that water would flow into a low lying area like parts of the Coast of Thailand.Now it all made sense, my Wife was not necessarily telling fibs, because the discussion was not about money, but the fact that she had stood beside the Panthurat statue, and on sand, now covered by 30 cm of water, and had actually seen it for herself.

Homer Simpson writes to news papersBy now I knew I was old enough, and knew too much, and did not care, and could write to newspapers about the truth. So I did. I said that those people with their degrees in Social philosophy , and repeating UN garbage were just nonsense … the Co2 is just the CO2 and you know the news didn't print print me. i could write on any other subject and be printed but not the political scienceI might has well have been saying its fun to fuck girls .Now it made sense, my Wife was not necessarily telling fibs, because the discussion was not about money.,

EnvironmentalistsPart of my research for this article was an article from Environment 360, and it said in headlines“We all think that we’re committed to a meter of sea level rise. We just don’t know exactly how quickly.' Well I love it. When Scientists Political are committed to something they will prove it.

I will show pictures of my area of photographic study on my own site as soon as , I do not mean to advertise at all .It is all a matter of fact .

Apologies for being off-topic here.This ebola outbreak is spinning outta control.The borders need to be closed ASAP. The failure to act swiftly here could be fatal for all.PLEASE Someone must step up here and be counted.PLEASE Someone must sound off like they got a pair.GET YOUR PREPS IN!!!

Oh Jamie - Ebola is WONDERFUL ...and making me and some of my friends an enormous amount of money haha!

I have been very ill and miserable during the last 3 months but Ebola has cheered me up immensely.

I have an interest in an Iron Ore mine in West Africa; due to the hysteria over Ebola the share price has dropped 40% in 3 weeks.

My 'Put' options are protecting the value of my existing shares, and I have been buying up enormous quantities of additional shares for what amounts to 15 cents on the dollar! hahahahahahahahaha!!!

Once all this childish hysteria is over and the shares revert to their true value I will be laughing all the way to the bank. Or the Greek Islands for a nice long holiday.

This is a classic example of irrational behaviour - the mine still existing, the iron ore still being there - yet everyone in a state of panic and offloading their shares (to me) on the bizarre reasoning that Ebola will make some sort of difference.

Just because lots of Negroes are dropping dead (a great tragedy, naturally) doesn't change the fact there is one hell of a lot of Iron Ore in that mine ....only now it is available for a song.

Jamie, this is the place where people are so 'spectacular' they elect Peter Dunne as their MP, so I doubt there are too many adventurers to deepest, darkest Africa returning to Johnsonville and bring ebola with them.

There is more chance of a nuclear bomb going off in Johnsonville Mall then there is of an ebola outbreak haha!

It gets worse Jamie - the good folk of Johnsonville have elected the 'spectacular' Peter Dunne as their MP on....ELEVEN consecutive occasions hahaha!!! (few of them understand why that is greeted with hoots of derision and laughter outside of Johnsonville).

But seriously - as Peter Cresswell says in his post, if you haven't touched saliva, sweat, blood, urine of someone infected there isn't anything to worry about.

The disease known as eboloa is caused by a spiral virus. There are, as may be expected, more than one variant of the virus. If you were going to get ebola it's the Reston type you'd prefer. Some fortunate people who have been exposed to that one show no symptoms whatsoever. Fancy that! If exposed, you want it to be that variant and then hope for lucky outcome. But then there are the other types. Probably the most interesting is Marburg. Some people who have had the disease have become really very ill but have managed to surivive. Others, not so good a result. What is interesting about this one is it can survive outside a host for quite a while. It can be transported airborne. So, anyway, you need to add one tmore warning to PC's list. It is not to breathe in the droplets of infected material released by a sufferer as an aerosol. Sufferers retch, cough, vomit, fart, belch, some do explosive shits and spray droplets of various body fluids everywhere in the final stages of dying. The virus can be in the droplets, in the aerosol. You do not want to be breathing any of what comes out of the person with this disease or your chances for the future won't look so good.

What you might like to know is that the disease comes from bush-meat. That is, people are eating monkeys. We think the virus comes originally from bats and then gets transferred into monkeys by various means. Do not eat them. Do not go near bats.

Some think that the plague was a spiral virus. Imagine that, the great plague was from an ebola variant!

I'm not buying the bush meat theory, the Africans have been eating that forever, and it sounds too much like the aids theory.I'm picking a man-made bio-weapon.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XasTcDsDfMg

Regardless, sticking our heads in the sand is not the solution and the clock is ticking.

Ebola is not a new virus. It has been around for a very long time. It has been infecting people for a very long time. In earlier times the people who came into contact with it were isolated, residing in small communities or living as hunter gatherers. The ebola kills humans fast, monkeys slowly (or not at all), bats not at all. What would occur is that a person would become infected and die without the opportunity to infect many others. When it did appear in a village the African method of dealing with it was to isolate first the sufferer and his family in their home and also isolate the village (no-one in or out). After a few weeks those infected were either dead or had pulled through. The homes of the dead were burned and there was no longer a threat.

Ebola has moved from the wild into humans some six times in this last 100 years as far as can be determined (by examining viral RNA of the known variants). The issue is that these days there are large cities in Africa and travel throughout the continent is easy and routine. Now it is possible for the virus to go from the wild to a city within 24 hours (which is well within the timespan that an infected victim shows no symptoms but may be infectious). Once in a city it can spread quickly as there are so many people in close proximity. That is not ideal. Of course, an infected person can travel far further in three days than just from the countryside to Kinsasha. That is not ideal either.

It is thought that the most important incident of the virus crossing species into humans occurred around or near Kinsasha in the 1930s. The viral alteration for that occurance has now established across several sub-variants. One effect is that the new versions of the virus can cross into humans more readily than before.

Re weaponisation.

As with other virusus and the like it can be turned into a dangerous weapon. Exactly why you'd chose to do this is beyond what I can imagine as reasonable or prudent. Perhaps this outbreak is another result of careless use of bioactive material resulting in an escape from the lab, or perhaps not. In this case I think Occam's Razor is best. The infection most likely started with the usual transfer across species (by inadvertent act of carelessness- eating bush meat for instance) and now is being grossly mishandled by politics.

A few scenarios I could imagine off the top of my head.I could see a few Boko Haram extremists right now who might want to weaponize Ebola.OrMaybe a big pharma company already has a cure and is looking to cash in, watch the movie 'V' and you'll know what I'm talking about.OrSome doo-gooder getting infected and jumping a plane home.

It would be a difficult task to weaponise ebola unless one had the specialist knowledge, experience and the right equipment available. It would also take a fair bit of research time to get it right. All this would be highly expensive.There are severe dangers to the person involved in mucking about with ebola as well.

It is known (and well reported in the literature) that there has been significant research activity related to ebola over recent decades.

It is possible to have been infected with the disease and not show any symptoms for several days (even as long as a week or more) but be infective to others. I don't think that makes a person a doo-gooder or evil or whatever. It just means their unlucky card has been dealt face down and soon they are going to find that they have been dealt a card and that card is not a good one when they get to turn it over, but right now they don't even know they got a card dealt yet.

You do not have to be awake to get ebola.

Closing the border is not an option in NZ at the moment. No need for it.

Im my world you hope for the best and pray for the worst. And sticking your head in the sand is not an option.

"Re weaponisation.As with other virusus and the like it can be turned into a dangerous weapon. Exactly why you'd chose to do this is beyond what I can imagine as reasonable or prudent." Amit

Amit a couple of days ago you stated you couldn't even imagine a boko haram fighter getting himself infected and jumping a plane. Hardly reassuring.

But trust Amit with your life. He's an expert. He knows all the angles when it comes to an Ebola pandemic or possible biological-warfare. It's gonna be sweet as because Amit said so.Don't worry be happy. Yay......Yeah Right.Go back to sleep.http://ninetymilesfromtyranny.blogspot.co.nz/2014/10/how-fast-can-ebola-travel-around-world.html

You write, "Amit a couple of days ago you stated you couldn't even imagine a boko haram fighter getting himself infected and jumping a plane."

No, Jamie, I did not state that. You've made a mistake. From that mistake you are drawing a long, long bow. Now go back and read what I actually wrote.

Ebola is not the end of Western civilisation as you seem to be breathlessly proclaiming or, at the very least, implying. RIght now there is no need for NZ borders to be closed. Were there to be a huge pandemic, then you might more reasonably make such an argument but presently no.

While ebola virus is dangerous, it isn't necessary to get over-wrought about it at all. It is defeatable and easily so. Ebola is moderately infectious, though once it has taken hold it kills fast. That is because it isn't well adapted to humans. It means that once it breaks out in a population conventional methods of isolation and containment (even at a basic, almost primitive level) are effective in dealing with it. The disease will run through a contained population very quickly and peter out almost immediately thereafter. The scary part is that there will likely be a significant death toll. The good news is that there is plenty of time available to deal with the disease and to halt its progress. Further, the effoort to do that does not need to be prolonged.

Latency without symptoms can be over a week for some forms of the virus. 24-48 hours is more common though. Now tell us how impossible it is for someone to get to NZ from Africa in all that time. Or shall we ask that question about a traveler from Spain or Texas?

HIV got to NZ. Surely you are aware of that one? Now what exactly makes it impossible for ebola doing same?

You are one person who many would gladly see infected with this terrible disease. There are quite a few who would pay to watch you wretch and hemorrhage your miserable life away as the mighty virus tears through your horrible bleeding body. It wouldn't have to do much work to get you bleeding out- you're already more that halfway ready.

I have given both of you your beans twice before. Here we go again.......

Amit first'You should only trust yourself with your own life.'Correct. 'In reality that is exactly what happens and you are responsible for your own life, no-one else.'Incorrect. The governments border policy and actions, or in-actions effect not just my life outcome, but all NZ citizens.'Yes. I am an expert in ealing with this stuff. Plenty of first hand experience.' **dealingGood. How many Ebola patients have you treated?'Jamie, after you kiss your arse goodbye, THEN what are you going to actually do?'None of your beeswax!!!

And onto Mr Lineberry

Do you two chaps actually realise how far away from West Africa we are in NZ? Do you realise what would be involved in taking flights from Liberia and ending up in NZ? how many changes of plane in how many countries would be required?

You have one again demonstrated a lack of basic comprehension of written English. Oh well. When all you've been trained and expected to do was obey orders from those superior to you, reading and comprehension clearly don't get much practice-.probably wasn't considered necessary at your pay-grade. A bit of friendly advice, that was in the past, now you need to learn to read what was written and address yourself to it.

I did not write that the decisions and actions of the NZ Government would not have an effect. You introduced that topic, fool. What I did state was that you are responsible for your own life and no-one else is. That remains the case.

Jamie, government is a chimera. There is nothing there, merely a collective of bureaucrats and administrators and the like who each make woefully fallible decisions. They have a fantastic record for fucking up what they get involved with. The reasons for this include something Von Mises discussed. Look up the problem of socialist calculation. When you finally understand what that is, consider also Hayek's corollary pertaining to the collection of information. In the end, government fails at most things it sets out to do, or more accurately, it fails to achieve the stated purpose of what people inside government proclaim for what they are doing. Goals are not attained and resource is wasted without recourse or responsibility. The problems are chronic and structural. They also relate to the nature of the people who attracted to working in or for government. The salient point is that if you rely on this mess to protect you, then you are being irresponsible with your own life. They do not even know who you are, let alone give a stuff about you. Besides they are far more prone to error and mistake (as the historical record demonstrates) in regards to your life than you would be.

There is a saying about having "skin in the game". When it comes to your life, YOU are ultimately the person whose skin it is that is in the game. You are inescapably responsible for your own life. No-one else is. You have no right to expect them to be.

Not Patients. I was involved with molecular bio including this virus.

So let's see. You are going to kiss your bottom and that's about it. Goodbye and nothing more. That's not much of a plan. No wonder you are emotional. You are far too reliant on the incompetence of anonymous bureaucrats.

You are a soldier (or were). Presumably you had expertise in the operation and maintenance of semi-automatic rifles. Your superiors would have insisted you were trained to a high level of expertise and competence so that you could deploy the rifle in a warfare situation when demanded to. I would understand you to be expert in that weapon.

On the other hand a gunsmith would not need to or necessarily be able to use the weapon in the manner that a front line soldier would be expected to. Nevertheless he would also have expertise- albeit of a different sort, much more in-depth technical than you would require.

I am not a nurse but I do possess expertise. I am familiar with the virus.

You what??? Amit back but where did dolf go???What is this, a tag-team???

I ain't got time for a game of 20 questions this weekend bud. I gave you an opportunityAnd this garbage is all you throw at me....

'How many people have you killed with your rifle?'What are you trying to get my life story or something?

{shakes his head}

'Presumably you had expertise in the operation and maintenance of semi-automatic rifles''I would understand you to be expert in that weapon.'

See there you go making presumptions again you numb-skull. I have experience with automatic weapons yes, but I am not an expert.I thought I cleared this up earlier on. I done my hitch is all.I ain't no killer boi. Never said I was, and I never claimed to be an expert in it.

Moving on you said

'Yes. I am an expert in ealing with this stuff. Plenty of first hand experience.'

'I am not a nurse but I do possess expertise. I am familiar with the virus.'

'Not Patients. I was involved with molecular bio including this virus.'

No contradiction on my part. I possess the expertise and the experience. You should go study up about how we isolate viruses and safely deal with them so they can be experimented, analysed and learned about.

Now I was only asking you a question out of interest. I did not expect it to reveal such insecurities and emotionalism. Calm down. It was only a question.

Anyway, here is another.

If you were ordered to, would you have been able to use your rifle to kill another human being?

In replyI guess I'll have to take Mr Rambo's word for it when he says....

"That we're like animals! It's in the blood! It's natural! Peace? That's an accident! It's what is! When you're pushed, killing's as easy as breathing. When the killing stops in one place, it starts in another, but that's okay... 'cause you're killing for your country. But it ain't your country who asks you, it's a few men up top who want it. Old men start it, young men fight it, nobody wins, everybody in the middle dies... and nobody tells the truth! God's gonna make all that go away?

1. Commenters are welcome and invited. 2. All comments are moderated. Off-topic grandstanding, spam, and gibberish will be ignored. Tu quoque will be moderated.3. Read the post before you comment. Challenge facts, but don't simply ignore them.4. Use a name. If it's important enough to say, it's important enough to put a name to.5. Above all: Act with honour. Say what you mean, and mean what you say.